Greek Conductor Zoe Zeniodi at the Sydney Opera House

The acclaimed Greek orchestral conductor Zoe Zeniodi was welcomed in Sydney in an intimate reception held in her honour at Government House on 31 July.

Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of NSW, welcomed the visiting conductor together with prominent members of the local Greek-Australian community who had gathered in the magnificent Gothic Revival building overlooking Sydney Harbour to also celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the foundation of the Hellenic Initiative Australia.

The Governor greeted her guests in the language of the Gadigal, the Traditional Owners of the lands on which Government House stands and spoke of the many cultures that make Australia the place it is today.

In  paying tribute to the valuable contributions that the Greek Diaspora have made to Australia, Her Excellency citied as examples the Kytherian and Kastellorizian Associations which emerged from humble origins in the successive migration waves following World War I and have recently celebrated centenaries.

The NSW Governor declared:

“I have not met a Greek who is not only a proud Greek, but who is also a proud Australian.”

Her Excellency also paid tribute to the sterling efforts of The Hellenic Initiative Australia, noting that the Greek community looks after each other and that “your generosity is without bounds”.

The NSW Governor then proceeded to introduce the visiting Greek conductor as “Ms Dynamite”, a famous reference to Ms Zeniodi’s passionate and intense performances in symphonic and operatic works.

Zoe Zeniodi is an orchestral tour de force. Hailed as the "Ingenious Greek Maestra", the conductor (who is also an accomplished pianist) has graced prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Paris Philharmonie and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.  She is, amongst many things, a Fellow of the  Hart Institute of Women Conductors and a member of the prestigious La Maestra Academy in Paris.

Her conducting career has taken her across all continents, collaborating with notable orchestras throughout the world, including the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra,  Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Bogota Philharmonic, Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra, Palm Beach Symphony, Tokyo Star Orchestra, Toscana Classica, South Czech Philharmonic, and the Brno Philharmonic,

Ms. Zeniodi was the first female conductor at Opera Southwest and has conducted opera and ballet with New Zealand Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Greek National Opera, and the Onassis Cultural Centre.

Ms Zenoidi's superlative orchestral attributes have been widely acclaimed overseas but for someone who in her own words feels that she really brings out a beautiful Greece in her musical interpretation and conducting, it is disappointing that this dynamic female conductor has not achieved the same proper recognition at home.

That needs to change.

Nevertheless, the first Greek orchestral conductor to appear at the Sydney Opera House, Ms Zenoidi said how happy she was to be back in Australia for a third time - which she described as a “dream come true” - and that it was an absolute honour to be invited to conduct a great work at the iconic Opera House.

The Greek conductor reminded her audience that Mozart’s opera Così fan tutte is a beautiful opera with themes that still resonate today: fidelity, love, sex and desire and the performance at the Opera House with Opera Australia will be a great production.

Assoc. Professor Helen Zorbas AO on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Initiative Australia thanked the NSW Governor for hosting the event and praised Zoe Zenoidi for her standing on the world stage as a pre-eminent Greek orchestral conductor.

Dr Zorbas also reflected on the tenth anniversary of The Hellenic Initiative Australia at a time when the indomitable Greek spirit was so deeply challenged during the economic crisis.  Resilience is in the DNA of the Greeks and the Greek diaspora rose to the challenge to support Greece and its people, with thirteen partner charities in Greece and ongoing collaboration to support individuals and families facing profound hardship.

Following the formalities, the guests at Government House proceeded to mingle with the Governor and their special guest of honour in what was a sparkling evening where our rich Greek-Australian culture and respect for each other was celebrated.

George Vardas is the Arts and Culture Editor.

Government House image credits:  Nick Bourdaniotis / Bourdo Photography; featured image: Musicentry

The opera Così fan tutte is being performed at the Sydney Opera House between 1-17 August 2024.  Tickets available at https://opera.org.au/productions/cosi-fan-tutte-sydney/